


A Day (Night?) on the Town

by alixcat



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Multi, Suit Shopping, describing clothes is a struggle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:01:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26699461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alixcat/pseuds/alixcat
Summary: “I did not realize you had such an affinity for couture.”“I used to be much more fashionable,” Marius sighed. “But I don’t often get to indulge for fear of the first mate tearing my sleeves off again.”“First mate...?” Essek thought for a moment before he put two and two together. “Ah. Beauregard.”Essek and Marius go shopping for fancy clothes in preparation for an upcoming party and acquire a little surprise for Caleb as well.
Relationships: Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast, Marius LePual/Essek Thelyss, Marius LePual/Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26





	A Day (Night?) on the Town

“You wanna go shopping?” Marius leaned his head into the study where the wizards were nose-deep into their studies. “Jester told me there’s some party coming up and I figured I could provide some-“ He stepped in and struck a pose. “ _ Expertise _ .”

Essek looked up from his spell and then let out a chuckle at seeing Marius’ ridiculous stance. “That sounds lovely. I haven’t had a chance to go shopping in… quite some time, actually. Caleb, would you-“

“I’m good,  _ danke _ .” The redhead stayed focused on his book. “I don’t see why you’d need more than three outfits anyway. My suit from before will be fine.”

“We’ll just have to get you something then.” Marius grinned before turning to face Essek. “Well? Shall we begin our adventure?”

After a brief explanation of where they were going, the two said their goodbyes to the rest of the Mighty Nein and made their way out into the streets. 

Marius never realized how little of Rosohna he’d been to. There was the Lucid Bastion where Caleb would occasionally teleport them to (which still was a weird experience), the Firmaments where they lived, and… that was about it. He’d heard the stories about the inn located in the Gallimaufry district and the smuggling front they’d found in the Coronas, but otherwise, there was still much to be learned.

“What were you looking to purchase?” Essek’s silky voice pulled him from his thoughts. “There’s a number of different stores nearby, but they’ll be on the more expensive side.”

“Perfect.” Marius grinned. “It’s been  _ months _ since I got to go anywhere with some class.”

“In which case,” Essek looked him over, a hint of appreciation and wonder in his eyes. “Follow me.” He led the way down a side street before coming to another main avenue. “I did not realize you had such an affinity for couture.”

“I used to be much more fashionable,” Marius sighed. “But I don’t often get to indulge for fear of the first mate tearing my sleeves off again.”

“First mate...?” Essek thought for a moment before he put two and two together. “Ah. Beauregard.”

“Yep.”

A faint smirk crept onto the drow’s face. “We’ll make sure to get some with reinforced sleeves, then. Or tell her she owes me for any damaged clothing. I can always get you more.”

They continued to walk and talk, Marius bemoaning the things he had to put up with on the Balleater and Essek sharing his stories of shenanigans he was roped into by the Nein. 

“Just once! That’s all I’m asking! At least now I have magic so actually clean it all in one day.” Marius concluded his rant with a huff. 

Essek nodded and squeezed his hand in consolation. “I understand your frustration. Oh, here’s the place I was talking about. Let’s take your mind off things, yea?”

The store in question had an elegant and stately front with stone and purple wood accents, akin almost to the Xhorhaus. The front windows were frosted slightly and above the door hung a sign in a language he soon recognized as Undercommon. 

“Hello and... uhm.” The store owner looked between Essek and Marius. The Shadowhand raised an eyebrow; Marius certainly was not the weirdest person he had been seen with. “Welcome to the Nocturnal Needle. My name is Samil. How may I be of assistance?”

“My partner was interested in taking a moment to peruse some shops on behalf of our boyfriend in preparation for an upcoming party.” A small smile made its way onto Essek’s face, but it was not the same smiles that he gave when around the Mighty Nein. This one was colder and commanded respect without question. It was kinda hot, Marius admitted to himself. “What do you carry in the way of suits?”

“Well, I have a variety of fits and styles in a selection of purples, blues, and blacks, as well as a few reds, creams, and whites.” Still keeping an eye on Marius while trying not to offend the Shadowhand, he made his way over to a rack near the door and held up a few samples of fabric. “Here are the different options for color and texture. My personal favorite is this one,” he pointed to a velvety purple-black. “But this one I think would suit your partner well.”

“May I see it?” Marius held his hand out, and after a brief pause, Samil relinquished the fabric. Holding it up to his head, he turned to Essek. “What do you think?”

Essek’s expression softened to genuinely pleasant as he looked over, eyes darting between the fabric, his hair, and his eyes. “I think any of them would look good on you, but that is quite the lovely contrast.” His attention turned back to the other selections. “Which do you think Caleb would like most? I’m leaving towards a black one; the suit Jester picked out for him before the Marquis’ party was truly exquisite.”

“I do remember that.” Marius looked over the other remaining swatches. “What about you? I think white would look absolutely  _ stunning _ against your skin. Bring out your freckles a bit more. Don’t you think, Samil?”

“I-I would agree wholeheartedly, sir.” Samil rapidly looked up from the remaining swatches he had been inspecting. “If you have decided on fabrics, perhaps we could take a look at the different styles? I have a few recommendations myself, of course, should you be so inclined.”

“Well, what would you recommend for an event with the Bright Queen?” Essek’s face was professionally devoid of emotion, but Marius could tell he was having fun making the poor tailor squirm. “We are shopping for a human man, this half-elf, and myself.”

A look of despair briefly crossed Samil’s face before he put on a bright smile that was quite obviously faked. “Oh, why of course! Heh. I have many fitted pieces that would accent both of your figures rather well, but for you, Shadowhand, might I recommend this structured, shawl lapel?” He wandered a few rows back and lifted up a pale, almost-white cream jacket. As he returned, Marius could see that there was a deep violet lining on the inside of the pockets.  _ Gods _ , how he missed good fashion. 

“May I try it on?” Essek spoke as he took off his mantle and outer cloak, the clothes beneath just as elaborate and astonishing as the layers that used to hide them. “Marius, if you wouldn’t mind.”

Marius smiled, nodded, and took the clothes. “Not at all.”

The jacket was breathtaking. Bright cream contrasting against Essek’s purple-blue skin, the violet linings of the pockets matching his eyes almost perfectly. For a moment, all of Marius’ thoughts came to a pause as he marveled at the beauty in front of him.

“I take it from your lack of commentary that it looks good?” Essek was checking different angles in the mirrors and looked over to see Marius staring. He smirked, only causing the heat on his face to grow warmer. “I’m actually quite fond of it myself.” Much to Marius’ disappointment, he then took off the jacket and put it back on its hanger.

“It does compliment you well, Shadowhand.” Samil had made his way to another rack and pulled out a red suit before making his way back to the two of them. “Marius, yes? I think this fitted peak lapel one would fit you nicely.” A row of three buttons made their way down the middle of the red suit, hints of a herringbone pattern overlaying the almost silk-like quality of the material that shone ever so faintly in the light.

Handing Essek’s clothing back to him, Marius unraveled his rolled-up sleeves and pulled the jacket over himself. It did fit him surprisingly well considering it was just off the rack. “It also feels quite nice.” Taking his place amongst the mirrors, he admired the way it accentuated his shoulders. 

“I applaud your choice of fabric, sir.” Samil looked on with a hint of sincerity. “Now, for this human you mentioned, do you have his measurements?”

“I can do you one better.” Uttering a quick incantation and making a few gestures, Essek was instantly replaced with Caleb, or at least looked like him. “This should help. I will warn you, it is just an illusion. Anything you put on me will pass right through.”

“Understood.” Once again strolling through the isles, Samil returned with two suits. “This fitted wide notch is available in both the velvet black you had looked at earlier as well as a rarely stocked black and silver pinstripe.” The pinstripe jacket was jaw-droppingly elegant, and Marius began to seriously consider changing his pick. At his request, the tailor held the suit around Essek’s illusory form, doing his best to check the sizing. “Since he isn’t here now, I cannot be certain that it will fit exactly. However, if you need me to make some adjustments, I’d be happy to help however I could.”

“Thank you for all your help. We’d also like to get matching trousers and some nice accessories that accent well.” Marius glanced around the store. “Do you happen to stock cravats? Ties? Socks and shoes?”

“I do indeed have all of those. Please, follow me.” Leading the way to the back of the store, Samil pointed out a display case that contained everything he had asked about and more. “Based on your familiarity with fashion, I trust you don’t need my help picking out your accent colors. If you would like, I can begin tallying up these,” he raised the arm that had the jackets. “While you continue to look.”

“That would be splendid, Samil.” Essek had dropped the illusion and was already beginning to look over the options before him. 

Marius had an idea. “Oh, one more thing I would like to ask. Do you happen to make suits for cats? And would it be able to match the pinstripe jacket?” Essek gave his intimidating smile as he spoke, and  _ oh _ how Marius wished he had been able to take advantage of that on previous shopping excursions.

“I can certainly try...?” It was obvious Samil didn’t want to displease Essek. “It will take me about a day and a half, so come back in two to check. May I get the measurements of this cat?” 

Essek silently nodded and produced a caterpillar cocoon before he turned into Frumpkin. Samil‘s face dropped ever so slightly, and Marius couldn’t help but feel a little bad for him. That feeling was soon forgotten as Frumpkin-Essek wrapped his tail around his leg before posing in front of the tailor.

A few minutes passed as they selected their accessories, Samil wrote down the last of his notes on Frumpkin’s suit and rang up their items, which Essek insisted on paying for. With the last bits of everything taken care of, they made their way out of the Nocturnal Needle and onto the streets. They took their time wandering around, enjoying the peace and quiet together.

As the moon shifted through the eternal night sky, Marius and Essek made their way back to the Xhorhaus, their spoils of war in hand. Upon crossing the threshold of the building, they were greeted with the familiar jingle of door chimes and the sound of Jester running down the stairs. 

“Welcome back! You guys were gone like.  _ All _ day. Or night. We thought that maybe you had–”

Essek cleared his throat. “I did say that we would be gone for–”

“–Anyway, Caduceus says there’s still some leftover dinner you could eat if you want! Also, you should probably go get Caleb because he hasn’t left the study at all and he didn’t even come out for food.” And just like she had arrived, Jester ran off to another section of the house.

“Well, I guess we better go drop these off and get Caleb’s face out of his books to come eat.” 

Beau’s voice echoed from somewhere upstairs. “Shut up, Marius!”

“You first!” He retorted on impulse before regretting it.

“What did you need?” Caleb made his way out of the library to join them in the main hall. 

“We got some stuff. First is this.” Essek pulled the black and silver pinstripe suit jacket from the variety of bags and boxes that floated in the space around them, as well as the matching pants and accessories. The look on Caleb’s face was all Marius needed to know they had done well. 

“I also got you something custom made that should be ready in about two days,” Marius added as he made his way toward the stairs. “Trust me, I think you’ll love it. Essek, want me to help put all of that away?”

“It would be very much appreciated.” Joining him on the stairs, Essek and Marius made their way to the guest room. 

* * *

The next two days went by rather quickly, slowed only by Marius’ anticipation for the cat suit to be finished. He knew Caleb would love it. Or at least he hoped so.

“Caleb, would you like to come with us to pick up your gift?” Marius had joined Essek at the front door and was pulling on his shoes. 

“I mean,  _ ja _ , I guess.” The study door opened and out walked the red-headed wizard, his magical cat following dutifully behind him. “I still do not know what it is I am to be expecting.”

“Isn’t that the point of a surprise?” Essek pushed open the door, and the three of them were on their way. It didn’t take all that long to find the store, but they were delayed as Caleb made a stop in a bookstore he noticed. 

Opening the door, a familiar voice called out from behind the counter. “Hello, welcome to the Nocturnal Needle. My name is Samil. How may I–” Finally looking up from his notes, he recognized Essek and Marius’ faces, seemed confused by Caleb, and then noticed Frumpkin. “Ah, I assume you’re here for the uhm… cat’s suit?” It looked like it physically pained him to say it. “I have it finished and waiting in the back. Please join me.”

“ _ Cat’s suit? _ ” Caleb looked between Marius and Essek. “Do I even  _ want _ to know?”

“Trust me on this.” Marius put a hand on his shoulder. “It’ll be great.”

The trio made their way towards where Samil had disappeared to and were pleased to find a small suit, tailored to Frumpkin’s size, that was an almost perfect match (well, as perfect a match as a cat suit can be) to Caleb’s suit they had gotten prior.

“... I love it.” Caleb was focused on analyzing every detail of the suit before he looked down towards his cat. “Do not hate me for this, Frumpkin, but there is something I would like to try.” Either through the link he shared with his familiar or just pure luck, Caleb managed to get Frumpkin into the suit with little fuss. 

“I will admit, as challenging of a task as it was, I am quite pleased with my handiwork.” A smile had appeared on Samil’s face as he watched the cat wander around in his suit. “Well, is that everything I can do for you, gentlemen?” 

“You have done plenty, sir.” Caleb shook his hand firmly. “Thank you for sharing your craftsmanship.” He then took Essek and Marius and kissed them both on the forehead. “And thank  _ you _ for this wonderful gift.”

“Don’t thank me. It was all Marius’ idea.” Essek took both their hands. “Shall we return to the Xhorhaus and show off this masterpiece?” The trio made their way outside into the perpetual night.

“I mean, you did pay for all of it, Essek, so I think we can share the credit.” Marius gave his hand a small squeeze. “Plus, I got to see you as Frumpkin when he asked for measurements, which was a  _ wondrous _ sight.”

“Happy to be of service.” 

With that, the three wizards and the cat in a suit continued their stroll back to their home, where they were sure they would soon be greeted by Jester’s shrieks and squeals.


End file.
